So we fill the gas tanks of one of these babies about 85% full of C4, let the Iranians "capture" it and take it to their top scientists and military bases for full analysis and when we're sure the room is full of semi to very important people.... *boom*.

Cythraul:And even if they had one of our drones. Then what? Are they going to start building them? Did the drone have all our military tactics information embedded in it?

It's apparently a generic model. So it's not like they are getting proprietary US technology. Several countries are using them. The US claims it's not ours, but it could belong to any one of the NATO or Arab countries operating in the area or Israel. The Iranians could pull cryptographic software off of it, and reverse engineer it in order to do something, maybe hijack more drones.

What data? Everything is probably downlinked. The only thing they could gather from this souped up low cost hobby aircraft is some navigation software. It doesn't carry weapons. It probably doesn't store the data, and if it does it's probably non encrypted basic point and shoot video. A big "meh". I could be wrong but I doubt it.

indarwinsshadow:What data? Everything is probably downlinked. The only thing they could gather from this souped up low cost hobby aircraft is some navigation software. It doesn't carry weapons. It probably doesn't store the data, and if it does it's probably non encrypted basic point and shoot video. A big "meh". I could be wrong but I doubt it.

It doesn't have self-nav software... surveyors can buy these planes too (some ONG surveyors out here in the mountains have em)... they're just oversized manually-controlled camera platforms that transmit data...they don't actually have any data storage at all on them.

Forgive me if there's a ready answer to this, but why not have a self destruct device on these things?

Doesn't need to be an actual "boom" or anything, I can see why that might be difficult to arrange, but why not a magnet held away from the hard drive by a spring loaded mechanism, which will be released if the machine is powered down without some sort of "mission accomplished" signal from home base?

cgraves67:Cythraul: And even if they had one of our drones. Then what? Are they going to start building them? Did the drone have all our military tactics information embedded in it?

It's apparently a generic model. So it's not like they are getting proprietary US technology. Several countries are using them. The US claims it's not ours, but it could belong to any one of the NATO or Arab countries operating in the area or Israel. The Iranians could pull cryptographic software off of it, and reverse engineer it in order to do something, maybe hijack more drones.

Seriously though, private companies buy this model all the time... if you're surveying large plots of land or looking for specific geological features, these things are kind of new toys for ONG companies here in CO, but they're not difficult to come by.

indarwinsshadow:What data? Everything is probably downlinked. The only thing they could gather from this souped up low cost hobby aircraft is some navigation software. It doesn't carry weapons. It probably doesn't store the data, and if it does it's probably non encrypted basic point and shoot video. A big "meh". I could be wrong but I doubt it.

Yep. And even IF the thing had any sort of crypto hardware on board it likely also comes equiped with a self-destruct circuit. (yes, they do actually exist. We've had to instruct pilots that the "Push to Destroy in Case of Emergency" button on the radios we install is not a shortcut crypto zeroize switch and that it will, in fact, do exactly what it says and brick a $50,000 piece of equipment)

Wade_Wilson:Forgive me if there's a ready answer to this, but why not have a self destruct device on these things?

Doesn't need to be an actual "boom" or anything, I can see why that might be difficult to arrange, but why not a magnet held away from the hard drive by a spring loaded mechanism, which will be released if the machine is powered down without some sort of "mission accomplished" signal from home base?

Because there's no farking hard drive to erase. It is a "dumb" drone... you fly it manually, it transmits video, but has no recording devices, no advanced electronics, and there's not really anything to hide. The Iranians have captured the same level of tech you could go to your local hobby store and buy.

cgraves67:Cythraul: And even if they had one of our drones. Then what? Are they going to start building them? Did the drone have all our military tactics information embedded in it?

It's apparently a generic model. So it's not like they are getting proprietary US technology. Several countries are using them. The US claims it's not ours, but it could belong to any one of the NATO or Arab countries operating in the area or Israel. The Iranians could pull cryptographic software off of it, and reverse engineer it in order to do something, maybe hijack more drones.

There's no way that drone didn't have its own specific encryption keys. They might get those... but so what? They're not going to be able to reverse-engineer it to hijack other drones, unless the system is VERY badly designed.

NateAsbestos:cgraves67: Cythraul: And even if they had one of our drones. Then what? Are they going to start building them? Did the drone have all our military tactics information embedded in it?

It's apparently a generic model. So it's not like they are getting proprietary US technology. Several countries are using them. The US claims it's not ours, but it could belong to any one of the NATO or Arab countries operating in the area or Israel. The Iranians could pull cryptographic software off of it, and reverse engineer it in order to do something, maybe hijack more drones.

There's no way that drone didn't have its own specific encryption keys. They might get those... but so what? They're not going to be able to reverse-engineer it to hijack other drones, unless the system is VERY badly designed.

They ARE poorly designed. People can take them down with 1000 dollars worth of equipment by hijacking their GPS broadcast signal.Linky

Sunday: Susan Rice appears on news shows to reaffirm that this was NOT our drone.Monday: FOX news exclusive that this was an American designed drone, but possibly used by another country.Tuesday: FOX news reveals that Susan Rice has not had the basic training to remotely control these drones.Wednesday: Hannity asks the question as to whether Susan Rice, not being a remote control flying expert, can even claim that it was not a U.S. drone. Demands investigation.Thursday: The Blaze features an inside source showing that not only did Susan Rice purposely give the Iranians classified information via the black box carried on the drone, but that she is part of a plot to make the U.S.A. legally bound to Sharia Law.Friday: Rush Limbaugh calls out for Susan Rice to be charged as a traitor and deported.Saturday: 35% of GOP voters 100% confident that Susan Rice is a secret muslim infiltrator involved in an internal power grab with Valerie Jarret to control Obama.Sunday: News shows have moved on to discuss fiscal cliff negotiations amid lamentations from conservative media that the Iranian drone story is being swept under the rug by the liberal media.

Wade_Wilson:Forgive me if there's a ready answer to this, but why not have a self destruct device on these things?

Doesn't need to be an actual "boom" or anything, I can see why that might be difficult to arrange, but why not a magnet held away from the hard drive by a spring loaded mechanism, which will be released if the machine is powered down without some sort of "mission accomplished" signal from home base?

Because that's a rube goldberg idea. C4 does a better job than a magnet, first off. Second, a spy drone isn't exactly a spy plane. It hasn't got much worth self destructing. You can build one yourself.

cgraves67:Cythraul: And even if they had one of our drones. Then what? Are they going to start building them? Did the drone have all our military tactics information embedded in it?

It's apparently a generic model. So it's not like they are getting proprietary US technology. Several countries are using them. The US claims it's not ours, but it could belong to any one of the NATO or Arab countries operating in the area or Israel. The Iranians could pull cryptographic software off of it, and reverse engineer it in order to do something, maybe hijack more drones.

All decent cryptographic algorithms are not vulnerable to reverse engineering. If there's a provisioned secret key buried in the drone that can be used to do anything other than impersonate that one drone then the designers need to be taken out behind the woodshed and brutalized horribly. Obviously any drone could be captured at any time. There can't be anything of value in it besides the hardware, else epic fail.

indarwinsshadow:What data? Everything is probably downlinked. The only thing they could gather from this souped up low cost hobby aircraft is some navigation software. It doesn't carry weapons. It probably doesn't store the data, and if it does it's probably non encrypted basic point and shoot video. A big "meh". I could be wrong but I doubt it.

The FCS and nav software is what separates a high end military drone from a model aircraft.

doglover:Wade_Wilson: Forgive me if there's a ready answer to this, but why not have a self destruct device on these things?

Doesn't need to be an actual "boom" or anything, I can see why that might be difficult to arrange, but why not a magnet held away from the hard drive by a spring loaded mechanism, which will be released if the machine is powered down without some sort of "mission accomplished" signal from home base?

Because that's a rube goldberg idea. C4 does a better job than a magnet, first off. Second, a spy drone isn't exactly a spy plane. It hasn't got much worth self destructing. You can build one yourself.